OUR SCHOOL AIMS:-
- To support the child in it's social and educational development within a caring and supportive environment.
- To teach the curriculum in a challenging and interesting way relating learning to the child's world.
- To be an active member of the wider local community where all are welcomed and appreciated for who they are.
- To prepare children for the future.
SCHOOL GOVERNORS
The organisation of the School is under the supervision of a Board of Governors, which includes LEA appointed Governors, Co-opted Governors and formally elected Parent and Staff Governors. Five Parent Governors are elected and serve for up to four years. All parents of children at the School are eligible to stand for election and can vote. Minutes of Governors' Meetings and copies of other official documents are available for parents to read within School on request. A list of governors and staff is enclosed within this brochure for your reference.
SCHOOL ADMISSION AND ATTENDANCE
By law, children must start school at the beginning of the school term following their fifth birthday. However, it is the local education authority policy to allow children to start before this time, at the beginning of the school year in which they are five. Initially this attendance is part-time and children then attend full time according to their date of birth, with all children full time attendance by the beginning of the Spring Term in January.
The School admits children from the age of four plus until the September following their ninth birthday, at which time they transfer to a local middle school.
With the exception of Reception Admission, children can be admitted to school at any time by mutual agreement with parents. THE CURRICULUM
The Merley First School curriculum conforms to the National Curriculum and incorporates the principles of the Poole L.E.A. curriculum statement. Being a five to nine First School we would normally expect children to work within the National Curriculum range of levels 1-4. However, it should be stressed that wherever possible, within the constraints of staff resourcing, children are expected to work at their own best level and should not be limited by the progress of their peers. Although for the sake of administrative convenience the National Curriculum is divided into separate subjects this does not match good modern primary teaching and so our children follow a largely integrated programme of work. In this, all aspects of the curriculum are studied within the framework of a topic. Each subject is more relevant and skills can be transferred between subject disciplines. Children experience a variety of teaching approaches, from whole class lessons through small group work to individual teaching and discussion. The majority of the time will be spent working in small groups usually with children of similar academic ability. A summary of the work children do is as follows and for the sake of simplicity it is divided into the same subject headings as the National Curriculum. |